The Giants have had some talks with ace right-hander Logan Webb a few long-term contract, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi instructed Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Neither Zaidi or Webb gave any specifics in regards to the nature of the talks, or whether or not or not a deal might be anyplace near completion.

Webb was arbitration-eligible for the primary time this offseason, and he and the Giants prevented a listening to by agreeing to a one-year, $4.6MM deal previous to the submitting deadline.  The righty has two extra arb years remaining earlier than he’s scheduled to hit free company following the 2025 season, and since Webb solely turned 26 final November, he’ll nonetheless be in his prime when he reaches the open market.

The Giants’ willingness to signal long-term contracts has lengthy been a subject of dialog throughout Zaidi’s tenure, because the membership hasn’t formally gone past three assured years to any participant since Zaidi was employed following the 2018 season.  After all, that truth carries a major asterisk, because the Giants thought they’d signed Carlos Correa to a 13-year, $350MM contract in December earlier than issues from Correa’s bodily in regards to the shortstop’s proper leg and ankle prevented the deal from being finalized.  San Francisco was additionally a major bidder for each Aaron Decide this offseason and Bryce Harper within the 2018-19 offseason, indicating that Zaidi’s entrance workplace is keen to splurge for a premium expertise.

After two glorious seasons within the Giants’ rotation, Webb definitely appears like a blue-chip expertise in his personal proper.  A fourth-round choose for the Giants within the 2014 draft, the native of Rocklin, California had a 5.36 ERA over 94 innings in 2019-20, although the FIP (4.15) and xFIP (4.25) metrics and a .340 BABIP indicated that Webb’s ERA was partially because of dangerous luck.

That fortune modified in 2021-22, when Webb had a 2.96 ERA, 58.4% grounder charge, 23.2% strikeout charge, and 6.1% stroll charge over 340 2/3 innings.  Whereas Webb’s Okay% and whiff charge dipped under common in 2022, he made up for it with sturdy management and a powerful skill to maintain the ball on the bottom.  Amongst all certified pitchers, solely Houston’s Framber Valdez has had a greater groundball charge than Webb over the past two seasons.  Webb’s FIP and xFIP from 2021-2022 are fairly just like his ERA (and his .299 BABIP is roughly common), although the argument can definitely be made that such a grounder-heavy pitcher might’ve been much more efficient in entrance of a greater protection than the Giants’ assortment of subpar infield gloves.

Well being-wise, Webb missed about six weeks with a shoulder pressure in 2021, and a lower-back pressure despatched him to the IL proper on the finish of the 2022 marketing campaign.  Webb underwent a Tommy John surgical procedure in 2016, and he additionally served an 80-game PED suspension in 2019 after testing optimistic for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone.

Any damage historical past comes below extra of a microscope within the wake of the Correa state of affairs, although on paper, it could seem to be the Giants may be moderately assured about Webb’s long-term well being.  Whereas discussing an extension with a younger star is due diligence for any workforce, the truth that the Giants have already had some stage of negotiation with Webb’s representatives on the ACES company is maybe additionally a touch that the workforce is comfy in making a long-term dedication.

Sandy Alcantara’s five-year, $56MM extension with the Marlins from November 2021 stands out as a logical comp for Webb’s camp, in no small half as a result of it’s presently the most important deal ever given to a pitcher with between three and 4 years of Main League service time.  Alcantara signed that extension at age-26 (the identical age as Webb now) and the 2 hurlers additionally share an analogous profile as grounder-heavy pitchers.

There’s a slight distinction in that Alcantara was additionally in his first offseason of arbitration eligibility on the time of the extension, however hadn’t but agreed to his wage for the subsequent yr.  As such, his deal lined all three arb years, Alcantara’s first two free agent years, and probably the 2027 season if Miami workout routines a $21MM membership possibility.  Although a Webb extension might overwrite his 2023 wage, a brand new deal would theoretically start with the 2024 season, that means that the Giants must pay a bigger value if needed to cowl one other one among Webb’s free agent years.

By way of long-term payroll, San Francisco has loads of open area for the long run, with such huge salaries as Joc Pederson, Brandon Crawford, Alex Wooden and (relying on participant or membership choices) Michael Conforto, Ross Stripling, and Alex Cobb all doubtlessly coming off the books subsequent winter.  It leaves the Giants with numerous flexibility in locking up Webb as a cornerstone piece of a rotation that’s in any other case full of veterans on shorter-term contracts, and the workforce nonetheless has loads of area to pursue different high-priced free agent or commerce targets subsequent winter after lacking out on Correa and Decide.